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Reason #5 why the Wizard likes Bovada:
Intelligent Bonuses
Many online casinos offer huge signup bonuses, but there’s a catch. Buried in the fine print is that play on the most popular games doesn’t count towards earning the bonus. It’s common for play on blackjack, baccarat, roulette, craps, and video poker to be excluded. In many cases, only slots count.
And that’s if you can even find the terms and conditions. Many casinos put their 100% bonus in big flaming letters but make you hunt all over their site to find the rules.
Bovada allows play on all games to count towards the wagering requirement. It’s that simple. Just no opposite betting. All casinos ought to be as easy as Bovada about this. The bonus offer itself is simple too: on your first deposit, they’ll give you an extra 10%. If you deposit $100, you’ll wind up with $110 in chips or tokens.
Finally, in the unlikely event that Bovada feels you’ve been abusing their bonuses they won’t seize your winnings like most other casinos will. In the worst case scenario they will politely tell you that they will not be offering you any future bonuses, but you are welcome to keep playing and keep everything you have made already.
Big Six
Last Update: Aug 09, 2008
Las Vegas Rules
Big Six, otherwise known as the "Wheel of Fortune", is played on a large vertical wheel. There are inlaid dollar bills of various denominations. The player bets on which denomination the indicator will stop on. The following table shows the betting options, payout odds, number on wheel, and the house edge.
| Big Six House Edge | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bet | Pays | Number on Wheel | House Edge | |
| $1 | 1:1 | 24 | 11.11% | |
| $2 | 2:1 | 15 | 16.67% | |
| $5 | 5:1 | 7 | 22.22% | |
| 18.52% | ||||
| $20 | 20:1 | 2 | 22.22% | |
| Joker | 40:1 | 1 | 24.07% | |
| Logo | 40:1 | 1 | 24.07% | |
As far as I know, every casino in the U.S. follows the Las Vegas rules, except in Atlantic City.
Atlantic City Rules
The Atlantic City rules are the same as the Las Vegas rules, except the joker and logo pay 45 to 1, instead of 40 to 1. This lowers the house edge on those two bets to 14.81%. Some other casino in the eastern U.S., outside Atlantic City, have been known to follow this rule.
Macau Rules
In Macau there is a similar game. One or two wheels each can be found in the larger casinos. It does not seem to be a popular game there. The game wheel is the same size, but instead of dollars, it has colors. The table below shows the number of stops on the wheel, probability, and return for each bet. The table shows the best bet is tied for orange, purple, and green, at 7.69% each.
| Macau Big Six | ||||
| Color | Pays | Stops | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange | 1 | 24 | 0.461538 | -0.076923 |
| Purple | 3 | 12 | 0.230769 | -0.076923 |
| Green | 5 | 8 | 0.153846 | -0.076923 |
| Blue | 10 | 4 | 0.076923 | -0.153846 |
| Yellow | 20 | 2 | 0.038462 | -0.192308 |
| Logo 1 | 45 | 1 | 0.019231 | -0.115385 |
| Logo 2 | 45 | 1 | 0.019231 | -0.115385 |
Australia Rules
The Star City casino in Sydney has a similar game, called the "Big Wheel." Instead of money, it uses native Australian animals. As the following table shows, the house edge is the same on all bets at 7.69%.
| Australia Big Wheel | ||||
| Color | Pays | Stops | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koala | 1 | 24 | 0.461538 | -0.076924 |
| Kookaburra | 3 | 12 | 0.230769 | -0.076924 |
| Lizard | 5 | 8 | 0.153846 | -0.076924 |
| Echidna | 11 | 4 | 0.076923 | -0.076924 |
| Platypus | 23 | 2 | 0.038462 | -0.076912 |
| Emu | 47 | 1 | 0.019231 | -0.076912 |
| Kangaroo | 47 | 1 | 0.019231 | -0.076923 |
| Total | 52 | 1 | 0 | |
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